Footitt agrees four-year deal with Surrey

Mark Footitt has signed a four-year contract with Surrey, which will see him leave Derbyshire after five years.

Derbyshire has agreed to release Footitt, who has a year left on his contract, with immediate effect after agreeing compensation with Surrey.

Footitt, who joined Derbyshire in 2010, appeared in 64 first-class fixtures for the county claiming 251 wickets at an average of 25, including 14 five-wicket hauls.

His performances for the club earned him his first international call up when he was named in England’s Test squad for the fourth Ashes Test this summer.

The 29-year-old also appeared in 34 List A and 13 Twenty20 fixtures for the county, picking up 58 wickets across the two formats.

Chief executive Simon Storey said: “We obviously regret that Mark has decided to move on. Having rejected a contract extension on improved terms, Mark and his agent made it clear he was keen to explore options elsewhere and in these situations, it is better for all parties to find a solution professionally.

“It is now important that we support Graeme as he develops the current group of Derbyshire bowlers. We will also be ensuring the finance is in place to augment our bowling line-up with potential replacements.”

Footitt added: “I’m grateful for the support I have received from the club, Graeme and his coaching staff during my time at Derbyshire.

“It was a difficult decision to leave, but I felt that at this stage in my career, now is the right time to move on and the opportunity to play first division cricket at a Test ground whilst working with another strong coaching set-up is the ideal next step.”

Elite Performance Director Graeme Welch said: “Mark has made great progress since joining the Club and in particular over the last two seasons which got him the call-up to the England Ashes squad.

“We of course would have liked him to stay, but we wish him well for the future.

“Our attention is now on working with the promising crop of young fast bowlers at the Club while, following on from the signings of Andy Carter from Nottinghamshire and Tom Milnes from Warwickshire, continuing to look to strengthen our squad further.